Higher taxes in Tally?

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I heard the County Commission just voted 3-2 to put a referendum on the ballot to raise the County's sales tax to 8 percent, making it the highest in the state.

All to fund some elaborate welfare scheme disguised as insurance policies for the uninsured, which is going to mean the usual welfare suspects who get everything else for free will be mooching off the rest of us for even more. Of course the fact that the County has the lowest uninsured rate in the state escaped these idiots.

And to pour salt in the wound, they are spending $150,000 taxpayer dollars to "educate" everyone to support the referendum. And to really pour salt in the wound, even illegal immigrants can qualify if they are on public assistance (which many are now).

I would love to vote those 3 who voted for this out of office. Anyone know who they are?

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I heard the County Commission just voted 3-2 to put a referendum on the ballot to raise the County's sales tax to 8 percent, making it the highest in the state.

All to fund some elaborate welfare scheme disguised as insurance policies for the uninsured, which is going to mean the usual welfare suspects who get everything else for free will be mooching off the rest of us for even more. Of course the fact that the County has the lowest uninsured rate in the state escaped these idiots.

And to pour salt in the wound, they are spending $150,000 taxpayer dollars to "educate" everyone to support the referendum. And to really pour salt in the wound, even illegal immigrants can qualify if they are on public assistance (which many are now).

I would love to vote those 3 who voted for this out of office. Anyone know who they are?

You should read all the way down the thread from another board that you just plagiarized.

The vote was unanimous to put this issue before the voters. The vote was 3-2 to spend the money.

As far as the overall issue - I am against the higher tax, but there is something to this. Both hospitals claim $80M in unpaid services. This 0.5% increase in the sales tax is to raise $16M/yr (I think) Can I get a guarantee that my health insurance premiums will go down at least as much as my additional tax burden? Interesting that TMH (non-profit) is against this and CMRMC (for profit) is for this. There is much to learn and understand - maybe spending the upfront $150k is a good idea??? 8% sales tax sounds awfully high, though.

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"You should read all the way down the thread from another board that you just plagiarized."

Not sure why that matters...but OK. It is a message board posts, no worries.

Is spending the $150K a good idea so others can 'learn' about this. Yes, but who is doing the educating? Folks that are for higher taxes? This could just be money tax payer money used to influence votes. This is unethical if true.

If one were to frame the question "isn't money for more health care a good idea"...well many would answer yes.

My personal opinion is, that as a taxpayer in Leon County, I will vote for any commissioner that votes higher taxes down. Taxes are already high in Leon compared to other Florida Counties. Enough.

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Well I sure don't want the moniker for Leon County as having the highest sales tax rate in the state and that is what this tax would do. Also hitting folks up w/a sales tax to pay for the poor is a bad idea b/c the poor will incur this cost too and on a percentage bases pay more for it than their middle and upper class brethren. I'll probably vote NO on it based on that rational.

That said property taxes are CHEAP here compared to South FL. My property taxes and home and car insurance here is half what I paid down there for a less expensive home and car.

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Because of the complexity of the issue, I think that the public information campaign is a good idea. Also, my firm might have a chance at doing some or all of the work for such a campaign.

I think that everyone involved realizes that the perception can be a problem, and it will be a focus of the effort to make it a fair and balanced "educational" campaign as opposed to one that attempts to persuade.

I am personally against the tax now, but that is because I am against most increases in tax. Especially when I see my property tax bill. However, if there is a cost savings that can be demostrated through reductions in cost of treatments that are currently paid for through some other budget, maybe there is some benefit.

The Democrat editorial this morning was about the importance of the campaign being educational. Since the Commission is making the citizens do the work, it is required that the public be able to make an informed choice.

I don't know where they got the $150k number, but that is not out of line based on the requirements (educating every voter in Leon County on two sides of a complicated issue).

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It also occurred to me that one of the reasons we have high sales tax to start with is because of the loss of revenue from property taxes due to the high density of public land in town.

I think that the fact that we have two universities and the state government hurt us in this regard, and that some kind of offset should be provided by the state in this case. Since they don't pay sales tax either, raising that will not help. Currently, the city makes up some of this revenue through utilities.

Instead, the State and public universities should do something to support the community when the concentration is so high. A contribution of some sort to the local governments where the impact is felt would seem to lower the burden of "hosting" all of the public sector institutions here.

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I'm surprised to see you're against this. This is a major pet project of TK believe it or not.

TJ,

I dont' really value TK's opinion honestly. I am pro FSU, but I think little of TK. I think he is a nice man, but he is not that bright and has misplaced priorities...and he has misused his power a good bit.

I am in general against higher taxes. I did vote for Blueprint 2000 because I believed in it. I have been disappointed at times because I thought they tried to back track on how the sold it (Gaines Street is one example).

I work in health care, have a masters in health care admin. I am not expert, but I know enough to know Leon County Commission does not have answers to the health care crisis. At the end of the day, this will almost assuredly just become wasted tax dollars IMHO.

Leon County would be a LOT better off if this group of politicians focused more on bringing economic diversity/prosperity and a LOT of it to the area, before they focus on raising more taxes to a highly taxed area and spending more tax payer dollars.

That is why I am against it.

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So if you go to a store in Tallahassee with our current tax, do they charge you $1.075 or $1.08? Most stores charge me the whole 8 cents. It only makes sense to have that extra 1/2 penny go toward something useful instead of these corporate bank accounts.

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I'm with you Stjoe on this one. I am not a believer in raising taxes. The County commission wants to put this before the voters this November. This will absolve them of accountability. (We need to totally NEW county commission) If the county needs more revenue to meet the needs of the citizens, then recruit more businesses. Businesses pay taxes!!!! They bring in additional workers who also pay taxes. We don't need a $180,000 propaganda campaign to convince us to vote yes to tax increases. Could not this money have been better used to advertise in Site Slection magazine to recruit new business to Leon County????

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I agree with you both that raising taxes is not the answer to our problems, but I still want to know what these companies do with the half penny they aren't required to turn over to the government that they still charge me.

I'm all for keeping things the way they are and I can't wait until the .005 we approved for the schools is expired. I'd love it even more to see us get down to .06 on the dollar. Not sure if that will ever happen, atleast not before 2011.

LEON county definately needs another County Commission, in my opinion one more like that at City Hall, without saying the city commission is perfect, they are much better at what they do than the county. I'd totally be for marketing Leon county in a Business magazine with the dollars spent on this campaign to "educate" voters. The best education voters will get will be free on WCTV and WTXL.

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I agree with you both that raising taxes is not the answer to our problems, but I still want to know what these companies do with the half penny they aren't required to turn over to the government that they still charge me.

When the tax is collected, the entire amount has to be remitted to the state (to keep from breaking the law). In some cases it will be rounded up, and others it will be rounded down.

Interestingly, if you sell $1000 worth of taxable goods, the tax that you collect and remit may not be $75. It could vary based on the rounding of each transaction.

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I don't like to admit this, but I often shop at the dollar tree. And I know if I purchase only one item they charge $.08. So where does that half penny go that the government collects? Does it go toward the schools? Or a general state fund?

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TJ you make an excellent point about where does that extra 1/2 cent go when you pay it? I've never thought of that.

On the other hand, why are you against the .5 cent tax for local schools? We have some of the best public schools in the state (not that is saying too much) and that half cent I believe helps w/that ranking. Good schools to me are a very important factor for attracting new people and jobs to town and for a better quality of life. Do you think this could be achieved w/out the .5 cent for schools?

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TJ you make an excellent point about where does that extra 1/2 cent go when you pay it? I've never thought of that.

On the other hand, why are you against the .5 cent tax for local schools? We have some of the best public schools in the state (not that is saying too much) and that half cent I believe helps w/that ranking. Good schools to me are a very important factor for attracting new people and jobs to town and for a better quality of life. Do you think this could be achieved w/out the .5 cent for schools?

Poonther - Schools are supposed to be paid for with property taxes. I think it is a failure of our county that they cannot properly budget so that we can have great schools with the income generated by millage along with the other normal sources of county income. Then again, two wrongs don't necessarily make a right - if Orlando and Tampa have normal sales tax and have bad schools, maybe there is a larger problem?

I think that being against an extra tax does not mean that you are against the results that it generates - you are just against the method of funding those results. Good schools should have already been funded, but the county could not get it right so the easy solution was to ask for more money.

TJ - the only thing I can't understand is how you went to the dollar store and only bought one thing! To your point, when I report sales tax collected, I am supposed to report how much I collected as base tax (6%) and how much I collected as surtax (1.5% currently for Leon). Presumably, my point of sale computers would tell me how much this was. If the regular tax would have been 6 cents, and the surtax caused the rounding error to 8 cents, the extra half cent would go to county revenue. I would guess that this 2 cents would be split 66/33 between Blueprint 2000 and Schools (not 100% sure, but I think that is how the rest of the system works). So, in that case, both components of the surtax would get a minute boost from your dollar store purchase that resulted in a rounding error.

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Oh ok. I wouldn't really call it a rounding error though. Normally when something is .5 you round up. So its understandable that they charge me 8 cents. I wish it were possible that I could carry around 1/2 pennies!!

Poonther, I'm not against the schools getting the 1/2 cent, but I think its kinda sad that counties have had to turn to this method of generating revenues because the state and federal government don't allocate funding for schools the way I think they should. Sure we pay property taxes and there may be a little work we can do with local dollars that could help boost things, but when our facilities have been upgraded, I hope to see normal taxing methods maintain our good schools.

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I think the reason why TK is for this is because the majority of the "uninsured" people in Tallahassee are college students. When I was in college, my parent's insurance would only cover me if I was in Palm Beach County. I was technically insured but if there was an emergency, then I was out of luck.

I am currently uninsured. I have an OPS position with the state and that doesn't come with benefits. I am looking into getting insurance but it is all very confusing.

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I think the reason why TK is for this is because the majority of the "uninsured" people in Tallahassee are college students. When I was in college, my parent's insurance would only cover me if I was in Palm Beach County. I was technically insured but if there was an emergency, then I was out of luck.

I am currently uninsured. I have an OPS position with the state and that doesn't come with benefits. I am looking into getting insurance but it is all very confusing.

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Interesting notes on the rounding idea - The real key to this discussion is "what is in the plan" ? This is a pretty complex issue and there are some real needs in the community - but we need to make sure that there is a well thought out, measurable plan - 1/2 penny will generate about $20M annually - which calculates to $300M on a 15 year tax - add time value and get to $500M - I would like to see something pretty specific before I sign up for about 1/2 a billion $$ -

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Interesting notes on the rounding idea - The real key to this discussion is "what is in the plan" ? This is a pretty complex issue and there are some real needs in the community - but we need to make sure that there is a well thought out, measurable plan - 1/2 penny will generate about $20M annually - which calculates to $300M on a 15 year tax - add time value and get to $500M - I would like to see something pretty specific before I sign up for about 1/2 a billion $$ -

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I heard the County Commission just voted 3-2 to put a referendum on the ballot to raise the County's sales tax to 8 percent, making it the highest in the state.

All to fund some elaborate welfare scheme disguised as insurance policies for the uninsured, which is going to mean the usual welfare suspects who get everything else for free will be mooching off the rest of us for even more. Of course the fact that the County has the lowest uninsured rate in the state escaped these idiots.

And to pour salt in the wound, they are spending $150,000 taxpayer dollars to "educate" everyone to support the referendum. And to really pour salt in the wound, even illegal immigrants can qualify if they are on public assistance (which many are now).

I would love to vote those 3 who voted for this out of office. Anyone know who they are?

There's nothing wrong with treating people with decency. Since our state and federal governments have allowed our health care system to be hijacked by the insurance industry who take a significant chunk of our health care dollars without adding any value to the system, it's up to counties and cities to act. Every person that get's care for their diabetes or heart condition in a clinic is one less person who is going to show up at the ER for the same services, at a much higher (tax payer funded) cost.

This is a very good idea and one that each of us should support. It makes sense, makes Tallahassee and Leon County a better place to live, and saves us money. What's wrong with that?

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There's nothing wrong with treating people with decency. Since our state and federal governments have allowed our health care system to be hijacked by the insurance industry who take a significant chunk of our health care dollars without adding any value to the system, it's up to counties and cities to act. Every person that get's care for their diabetes or heart condition in a clinic is one less person who is going to show up at the ER for the same services, at a much higher (tax payer funded) cost.

This is a very good idea and one that each of us should support. It makes sense, makes Tallahassee and Leon County a better place to live, and saves us money. What's wrong with that?

Hey Ghost again in principle I do agree w/you. However this idea disturbs me for not what it wants to do, but HOW it wants to do it. Is a sales tax really the answer? Is there a better way to achieve this money? Could we do as someone in the Democrat from Lexington, KY stated and have FSU med. school students and staff provide this service for free while they earn experience? I did think that was a good idea. Also troubling is that this same type of plan is not well used in other counties in FL that provide it such has Alachua or at least that is what the studies have shown.

Also this is the last sales tax by law we can add...only 2% over the state mandated 6%. Once we use this one up it's all gone. Also I do not like the moniker that Leon will hold in the State as the highest sales tax county in the State. I'd feel a little better if we were just ONE of the highest but not the highest, that could be bad for business??

Again I'm on board w/you on the idea, I'm just not sure if this is the proper way to achieve it. Truly confused on this issue. Enlightenment for me w/either pros or cons would be greatly appreciated.

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Hey Ghost again in principle I do agree w/you. However this idea disturbs me for not what it wants to do, but HOW it wants to do it. Is a sales tax really the answer? Is there a better way to achieve this money? Could we do as someone in the Democrat from Lexington, KY stated and have FSU med. school students and staff provide this service for free while they earn experience? I did think that was a good idea. Also troubling is that this same type of plan is not well used in other counties in FL that provide it such has Alachua or at least that is what the studies have shown.

Also this is the last sales tax by law we can add...only 2% over the state mandated 6%. Once we use this one up it's all gone. Also I do not like the moniker that Leon will hold in the State as the highest sales tax county in the State. I'd feel a little better if we were just ONE of the highest but not the highest, that could be bad for business??

Again I'm on board w/you on the idea, I'm just not sure if this is the proper way to achieve it. Truly confused on this issue. Enlightenment for me w/either pros or cons would be greatly appreciated.

Again I agree with you. This is all nice in theory, but in reality it leaves much to be desired. I really don't like maxing out the sales tax an this project. Let me remind everyone that Tallahassee has one of the lowest rates of folks lacking health care in the state already.